OAFVC Blog

How Can Agriculture in Northumberland County Help My Business

The term supply chain is used to encompass every step between receiving an order from the customer and delivering that product or service. A high-quality, reliable supply chain is key to business success in any industry. Food business is no exception.

Agriculture in Northumberland County is a crucial part of the solid, dependable supply chain that gets food to consumers. Farmers and growers provide the raw ingredients for food processing. When those ingredients are sourced in Northumberland County, the end product is environmentally responsible and supports other local businesses.

With rich soil and an ideal climate, Northumberland County is proudly known for its high-quality farmland and wide variety of crops.

5 Supply Chain Examples from Agriculture in Northumberland County

1. Product Development

Agriculture in Northumberland County can supply the fruits and veggies you need to create soups, sauces, and ready-made dinners. Don’t forget dessert! Want to develop a new product? Source new ingredients from local farmers. OAFVC can introduce you to some of them. Turn your food passion into small-batch food production.

2. Marketing

Marketing is all about presentation. So is food. Consumers want to know where their food comes from. They are happy to tour the orchard where the apples that make their favourite cider are grown. You could work with a local chef to create a meal experience that includes an orchard tour, dinner, and a cider pairing.

3. Operations

In preparation for creating your awesome relish or pies, your suppliers (farmers) can ship their fresh produce directly to OAFVC’s receiving dock. You can then do all your food processing at OAFVC’s commercial kitchen. This saves you money, since you don’t have to receive the products at your home or business and then transport them a second time.

4. Distributions

Both OAFVC and agriculture in Northumberland County are within easy access of distribution routes to ship your products to local towns, across the country, or around the world.

Connects Toronto to Montreal by way of Highway 401, St. Lawrence Seaway and CN main line

Gateway to eastern Canada via Highway 30

Gateway to USA with 3 border crossings

5. Finance

With plenty of funding options available, such as Canada’s Business Development Bank (BDC), the Eastern Ontario Development Fund (EODF), and the Business & Entrepreneurship Centre Northumberland (BECN), there are lots of opportunities for your business to obtain funding on your own, or in collaboration with a partner from agriculture in Northumberland County.

“Through the Local Food Investment Fund, our government is supporting Ontario’s booming agri-food sector, to make it even easier for Ontarians to enjoy the good things grown, harvested and made in Ontario. This investment will help increase access to local food in Northumberland County and help create good jobs across the province,” said Jeff Leal, Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs at the time the Local Food Investment Fund was implemented.

Bonus: Combining Customer Service with Agriculture in Northumberland County

Providing great customer service means you’re much more likely to get word of mouth recommendations that help expand your business. Think how much farther your customer service will reach when you partner with the farmers who grow your ingredients. When the farmers are out in the community, they can talk about your products and explain what went into growing the fresh produce you used. When customers see that the farmer uses ethical and sustainable methods, they will feel good about buying your jam, ketchup, or kombucha.